Chuck Kent
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- May 29, 1999
- Messages
- 983
Well, I have had a chance to do a bit of listening to the 3803's digital 2 channel AL24 vs. my Adcom GCD-700's analog output. And the decision is that...depending on the music I'm playing, I like both PCM decoders and I'm using both. As I noted above, even though I had reset my 3803 out of the box, the AL24 processing just did not sound right soundstage-wise. But based on Mike's encouragement, I reset it again and gave AL24 another chance. To my surprise, the 2nd reset did the trick! So, since the reset, I've tried to take a few times to do some listening and compare my Adcom's analog signal to the Denon's digital one.
My conclusion is now...
Soundstage-wise, they are virtually identical. At approximately the same levels, they just have no real difference. With my speakers (noted below), either method throws a nice sized, believeable image in my room. To my middle-aged ears, they both sound more than fine.
Tonal-wise, I do hear differences. Compared to the Denon, the Adcom is a bit darker, warmer (you pick the adjective.) The Denon is a tad brighter or cooler (again, you pick your favorite) when compared to the Adcom. The differences aren't huge but they are definitely there. With older recordings, I seem to prefer the Adcom's analog "version" where newer stuff often sounds better to me via AL24. (It's important to note that the Adcom doesn't sound dull or that the AL24 process sounds bright. The differences between the 2 are not that large and neither sounds "wrong" to me.)
The question in my mind, is one more right than the other? Maybe, but often these kinds of things are pretty heavily subjective. Denon claims that their AL24 is supposed to emulate the good parts of analog sources and still retain the best of digital. Denon Alpha-AL24 FAQ I can't really say if the things I hear via AL24 are more analog-like, but it is fun to listen to.
Bottom line is that I now feel that AL24 is much better than I originally thought. I can now recommend to others that it can sound quite good and is certainly a good alternative to other quality 2 channel PCM decoding.
(My setup for 2 channel: I'm running my 3803 as a pre/pro into an Outlaw ICBM and then on into a Carver 705x 5 channel amp. (All of the speaker setting on the Denon are Large (w/sub on) and the ICBM handles all of the bass management.) The Carver then feeds into a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Signatures for the mains and an M&K MX-125 subwoofer. I run the ICBM on a 60 Hz highpass crossover for the 2CE's and the sub (which is eq'd via a Rane PE-17) gets the rest of the bass from the ICBM.)
My conclusion is now...
Soundstage-wise, they are virtually identical. At approximately the same levels, they just have no real difference. With my speakers (noted below), either method throws a nice sized, believeable image in my room. To my middle-aged ears, they both sound more than fine.
Tonal-wise, I do hear differences. Compared to the Denon, the Adcom is a bit darker, warmer (you pick the adjective.) The Denon is a tad brighter or cooler (again, you pick your favorite) when compared to the Adcom. The differences aren't huge but they are definitely there. With older recordings, I seem to prefer the Adcom's analog "version" where newer stuff often sounds better to me via AL24. (It's important to note that the Adcom doesn't sound dull or that the AL24 process sounds bright. The differences between the 2 are not that large and neither sounds "wrong" to me.)
The question in my mind, is one more right than the other? Maybe, but often these kinds of things are pretty heavily subjective. Denon claims that their AL24 is supposed to emulate the good parts of analog sources and still retain the best of digital. Denon Alpha-AL24 FAQ I can't really say if the things I hear via AL24 are more analog-like, but it is fun to listen to.
Bottom line is that I now feel that AL24 is much better than I originally thought. I can now recommend to others that it can sound quite good and is certainly a good alternative to other quality 2 channel PCM decoding.
(My setup for 2 channel: I'm running my 3803 as a pre/pro into an Outlaw ICBM and then on into a Carver 705x 5 channel amp. (All of the speaker setting on the Denon are Large (w/sub on) and the ICBM handles all of the bass management.) The Carver then feeds into a pair of Vandersteen 2CE Signatures for the mains and an M&K MX-125 subwoofer. I run the ICBM on a 60 Hz highpass crossover for the 2CE's and the sub (which is eq'd via a Rane PE-17) gets the rest of the bass from the ICBM.)
